Three and a half years ago, one of the most famous poker hands of all time was played during a Hustler Casino Live show between Garrett Adelstein and Robbi Jade Lew.
The incident resulted in one of the most popular live poker players in the world withdrawing from the public eye, only making a few sporadic appearances on poker shows across the entire period.
Now, many months later, Garrett Adelstein is back with some great news, as his new memoir “Beneath the Cards” enters a presale and is scheduled for a full release on September 1, 2026.
To promote his new book, Adelstein released a short video on his X page, a part of a bigger production, which gave us a short insight into some of the topics discussed in his new book.
If You Think You Know the Full Story – You Don’t!
A short video released on Adelstein’s X page gives a brief insight into the most important part of his Memoir, the big hand played against Robbi Jade Lew, and the aftermath of the incident.
In the video, Garrett discusses the events that immediately followed the situation we all got to witness on the live stream.
For those who may have forgotten, Adelstein got called by Lew in an impossible spot for a huge pot, lost the pot, and accused his opponent of cheating off-camera. Lew gave him back the chips he lost in that hand, and Garrett left the set.
In the hours after the hand, Adelstein released a series of tweets, seen by five million people, in which he elaborated why he believed the stream was compromised and he had been cheated.
Now, years later, Adelstein’s video and book go deeper into the situation, with specific calls and messages he received from HCL co-owners Ryan Feldman and Nick Vertucci (who has since left the show), and more.
Adelstein promises the book will shed new light on the whole incident and indicates that some of the many people who sided with Robbi might change their minds upon reading it.
You can see the full clip below and even preorder Adelstein’s memoir to be among the first to read it when it releases in September.
Its time I tell the full story… pic.twitter.com/wZApO2rDp4
— Garrett Adelstein (@GmanPoker) March 25, 2026
Robbi Trolls Adelstein and Preorders the Memoir
Adelstein’s X video got a lot of interest from the poker fans, with many notable figures from the poker world engaging with it immediately after its release.
In the comments, Garrett mentioned that his book “Beneath the Cards” was now available for preorders, and quite a few fans confirmed their purchases.
Among those was none other than Robbi Jade Lew, who congratulated Garrett on his new book. The Californian grinder replied, indicating that Robbi would especially like the last part, as she was in it quite a bit.
Lew took the joke a step further, commenting, “I always enjoy a good fiction,” and pasting a screenshot of her own preorder confirmation.
I always enjoy a good fiction 😚 pic.twitter.com/g4kTZsg8kS
— Robbi Jade Lew (@RobbiJadeLew) March 25, 2026
It’s safe to say many in the poker world, including Robbi Jade Lew herself, will have fun reading through Garrett’s new book and getting to the bottom of what he was thinking in the moments right after the infamous hand played out.
Did Garrett Force Robbi to Pay Him Back?
One of the biggest controversies that came from the whole Hustler Casino Live J4 debacle was whether or not Garrett Adelstein “forced” Robbi Jade Lew to pay him back the money he had lost in the hand.
While Adelstein has continued to deny any such action, the likes of Nick Vertucci and Robbi’s friend Rip have gone public, saying that he did demand the chips be paid back.
To this day, the full truth on what exactly happened in the secret backroom conversation between the two never came out, but we will soon know the full details from Garrett’s perspective.
Whatever we end up reading in “Beneath the Cards,” it’s very likely that the full incident will forever stay shrouded by a veil of mystery.
The full investigation conducted at HCL concluded years ago and found that there was no proof that any kind of cheating, digital or otherwise, occurred on the show.
An Exciting Read for All Poker Fans
Poker books may no longer be the go-to material for players looking to improve their game, but memoirs like “Beneath the Cards” are certainly a must-read for any poker diehard.
If you see yourself as a part of that category, I highly recommend grabbing your copy of the book as early as possible, with the preorder option guaranteeing you will get one as soon as it’s released.
While I haven’t had a chance to read “Beneath the Cards” just yet, something tells me it’s going to be one amazing read, especially for all of us who have been keeping track of the J4 scandal ever since it broke out.
